Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford
- Title
- Herman P. Kopplemann
- ID
- 0012.003.016e
- Date [inclusive]
- 1930s-1960s
- Extent
- 0.5 Cubic feet
- Language
- English
- Biographical/Historical
- Biography from Silverman Born in Odessa May 1, 1880, son of Henry and Jessie Mintz Kopplemann, Herman Kopplemann came with his parents to Hartford when he was two years old. When he was eight, he started his career as a newspaper boy and in 1890 founded the firm, H.P. Kopplemann, which, with his brother, Abraham, his partner since 1928, became the leading distributor of newspapers and magazines in the state. In 1903, he was elected to the City Council and re elected four times, serving one year as president in 1910. During his eight years as a councilman, his staunch support for the East Side his former home section won him the title "Father of the East Side." Immigrants turned to him with their problems. He secured sewer system improvements there that reduced health and flood hazards. He worked for the public bath house and was instrumental in improving working conditions and obtaining higher wages for the city police and firemen. In 1912 he was elected to the Connecticut House of Representatives and in 1919 to the State Senate. While in the State Legislature, he sponsored the state widows' pension and children's relief measures; he helped pass the state teachers' pension law, workmen's compensation, the law prohibiting employment of those under 16 in factories; forbidding employment to women for more than eight hours daily, the law on safety in construction work and the removal of dangerous railroad grade crossings. Herman P. Kopplemann was chairman of the State Water Commission and spoke strongly in the cause of solving the water pollution problem. From 1929 to 1957 he was a member of the Metropolitan District Commission, which supervises the distribution of water, and served as its chairman. In 1933, he was elected a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the first Jew from Hartford to serve as congressman. He was re-elected to serve four additional terms: 1935, 1937, 1941 and 1945. Congressman Kopplemann was a consistent supporter of the New Deal and was known as a "Roosevelt Democrat." He served on the House Appropriations Committee, the House Banking and Currency Committee, and other Congressional bodies. He voted for social security, low cost housing, labor relations legislation, deposit insurance, cheap rural electrification, and devoted much time to getting federal loans for private industry. Herman P. Kopplemann was very active in Jewish affairs. He was on the executive committee of the Independent Order B'rith Abraham, state deputy grand master of the IOBS, chancellor commander of Knights of Pythias, a board member of the United Jewish Charities and the YMHA, a founding member, trustee, and president of the Emanuel Synagogue, as well as chairman of the 1922 United Jewish Appeal Drive in Hartford. He was also a board member of Mt. Sinai Hospital, the Jewish Community Center, and the Hebrew Home for the Aged. He was vice president of the United Synagogue of America and secretary of the Board of Overseers of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America. Died: Aug. 12, 1957. Survivors: widow, Adeline Greenstein Kopplemann; brothers, Abraham, and Marcus ( N.Y.C. ); sister, Mrs. Arthur ( Sarah ) Ceely ( Deland, Fla.). His widow, Adeline Greenstein Kopplemann, died Jan. 20, 1968. From the Hartford Times editorial, Aug. 13, 1957: . . . Mr. Kopplemann was gifted with manifold talents. His zest for enterprises was prodigious . . . . During his public career, spanning 50 years, Mr. Kopplemann gave himself unstintingly in efforts to serve his constituents. He was especially interested in the lot of people of low income. He did much to promote public health, social welfare, and to eliminate slums . . . . Another side of his personality was his generosity. Philanthropy came as naturally as did business, politics and other forms of public service. Among Herman P. Kopplemann's many benefactions during his lifetime were the Hartford Public Library, Brandeis University and the Jewish Theological Seminary. In his will he left $86,000 to charitable, religious and civic organizations including Mt. Sinai, St. Francis and Hartford Hospitals and the Salvation Army Camp Fund. Biographical excerpt from Rabbi Morris Silverman's, "Hartford Jews 1659-1970", published by the Connecticut Historical Society.
- Scope and Contents
- Scope and Contents note Most of the material in this collection relates to Kopplemann's political activities, with many clippings related to his elections and his political stances. This collection is a good starting point for research on Kopplemann's background and political career. It also offers a look at the family life of a member of Congress.
Administrative Information
- Publication Information
- Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford
333 Bloomfield Avenue
West Hartford, CT, 06117
860-727-6171
ekafer@jewishhartford.org
Collection Inventory
| Series I: Koppleman Records & Manuscripts | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Awards and Honors | ||||
Kopplemann, Herman P./Biographical | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P. and Adeline/Charitable Activities | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Civic Activities | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Congressional Election | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Congressional Election, 1932 | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Congressional Election, 1934 | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Congressional Election, 1936 | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Congressional Election, 1938 | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./ Congressional Election, 1944/Congressional Election, 1944/Certificate verifying election, OVERSIZE, drawer | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman and Adeline/Kopplemann Award, Given by Emanuel Synagogue Brotherhood | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P. and Adeline/Kopplemann Scholarships for Newspaper Carriers | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P. and Adeline/Miscellaneous | ||||
| Kopplemann, Abraham/Miscellaneous | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Obituaries | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Political Stances | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Professional Activities | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P./Research Notes from Dalin/Rosenbaum book | ||||
| Kopplemann, Adeline/Scrapbook, 1930-1958 | ||||
|
Kopplemann, Adeline/Scrapbook - Loose Clippings, 1930-1969 | ||||
| Kopplemann, Herman P. and Adeline/Travel | ||||